Tasty Tuesdays: Bento

A bento made by miss feelgoody2shoes

Bentos are essentially lunchboxes, popular in places like Japan, Taiwan, and China. It's a healthy, yummy & cheap way of enjoying your lunch, especially when you're on a tight budget!

Now looking at the pictures of Bentos you might be thinking "How long did it take to make THAT?!" But really, making a bento can take as short as you want or as long as you want, it all depends on your own planning. Here I've gathered some samples of the different bentos from my favourite bento making blog: Adventures in Bentomaking

Credits: Paprika Chicken Bento @ aibento.net

Easiest and fastest way to make a bento is to pack leftovers from previous meals. With some fresh rice and a little effort in putting everything together, leftovers can be made into a whole new meal that can be pretty appetizing. Here is a bento with leftover paprika chicken, some pickles and rice.

Credits: Chicken Soboro Bento @ aibento.net

There are also super simple bentos that don't take up much time to make in the mornings. This Chicken Soboro Bento in the picture above consists of rice at the bottom, some minced chicken, eggs, and sugar snap peas. It's a balanced meal where you can adjust the ingredients accordingly, like if you need more vegetables in your meal, by all means add more!

Sample of a Guy's Bento from Just Bento

There is no one set rule on how to make a bento, it's up to you to customize and put the bento together according to your needs. Another bento blog called Just Bento, even provides a lot of tips on how to watch your weight by having the right amount of carbs, protein and vegetables in your bento.

Smaller bento boxes means your food portion is smaller and you are eating just enough, compared to going out and getting large meals that make you overeat without you even realizing it. But of course if you're a guy and you need more food, you can have bigger portions in your bento.

Simple and healthy, Bento making is a habit that will take some getting used to, especially with all the yummy Nasi Lemak & Char Kuey Teow. However, if you think of the long term benefits especially with your wallet growing fatter and your waist growing smaller, what's not to try?